Written Answers Wednesday 22 June 2005

Scottish Executive

Asylum Seekers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children of asylum seekers there were in schools in Scotland in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004, broken down by local authority area and (i) primary and (ii) secondary school.

Peter Peacock: : The table sets out figures for the number of known children of asylum seekers attending local authority schools in Scotland. Figures were not collected centrally in 2001. Those local authorities with no known children of asylum seekers in school are not listed.

  

 
2004
2003
2002


Primary
Secondary
Primary
Secondary
Primary
Secondary


Aberdeen City
*
-
-
*
*
-


Angus
-
-
-
-
9
-


Argyll and Bute
-
-
*
-
*
-


Dundee City
*
*
-
*
*
*


East Ayrshire
-
-
-
-
-
*


East Dunbartonshire
-
*
-
*
-
*


East Renfrewshire
*
*
-
-
*
*


Edinburgh, City of
27
5
*
*
*
*


Falkirk
-
*
-
*
-
*


Fife
5
-
*
-
*
-


Glasgow City
896
451
863
438
884
*


Highland
-
*
-
-
-
-


Inverclyde
-
-
-
-
-
*


Midlothian
-
*
-
*
-
-


North Lanarkshire
*
*
*
*
*
*


Renfrewshire
-
-
*
*
*
*


Scottish Borders
*
-
*
-
*
-


Shetland Islands
-
*
*
-
-
-


South Ayrshire
-
-
-
*
*
*


South Lanarkshire
*
*
*
-
*
*


West Dunbartonshire
*
*
*
*
*
*


West Lothian
-
-
-
*
5
-


Total
939
477
910
*
936
409



  Notes:

  Figures for the total number of children of asylum seekers attending local authority schools can be found in the Scottish Executive publication Pupils in Scotland 2004. This publication can be accessed from the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/04/11114958/50011.

  An asterisk denotes numbers that are less than five. It is policy to suppress numbers less than five in order to ensure that individuals cannot be identified.

  An asterisk can also denote a figure which has not been provided in order to ensure that it cannot be used to work out another figure and possibly lead to the identification of individuals (for instance the very small numbers of children of asylum seekers attending special schools).

Asylum Seekers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children of refugees there were in schools in Scotland in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004, broken down by local authority area and (i) primary and (ii) secondary school.

Peter Peacock: The table sets out figures for the number of known children of refugees attending local authority schools in Scotland. Figures were not collected centrally in 2001. Those local authorities with no known children of refugees in school are not listed

  

 
2004
2003
2002


Primary
Secondary
Primary
Secondary
Primary
Secondary


Aberdeen City
*
*
*
-
*
-


Aberdeen shire
-
*
-
-
-
-


Dundee City
-
*
-
*
-
*


East Dunbartonshire
*
*
-
*
*
*


East Lothian
*
*
*
*
*
-


East Renfrewshire
*
-
-
-
-
-


Edinburgh, City of
22
11
*
*
5
5


Fife
*
-
-
-
-
-


Glasgow City
227
*
138
134
149
*


Midlothian
-
*
-
*
*
-


North Ayrshire
-
-
*
-
*
*


North Lanarkshire
-
*
*
*
-
-


Perth and Kinross
*
-
-
-
-
*


Renfrewshire
*
*
-
*
*
-


Shetland Islands
-
-
*
-
-
-


South Ayrshire
-
*
*
-
*
-


South Lanarkshire
*
-
*
*
-
-


West Dunbartonshire
-
*
*
-
-
*


West Lothian
-
*
-
*
-
-


Total
261
*
162
*
167
*



  Notes:

  Figures for the total number of children of refugees attending local authority schools can be found in the Scottish Executive publication Pupils in Scotland 2004. This publication can be accessed from the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/04/11114958/50011.

  An asterisk denotes numbers that are less than five. It is policy to suppress numbers less than five in order to ensure that individuals cannot be identified.

  An asterisk can also denote a figure which has not been provided in order to ensure that it cannot be used to work out another figure and possibly lead to the identification of individuals (for instance the very small numbers of children of refugees attending special schools).

Children and Young People

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently diagnosed with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in each local authority area.

Peter Peacock: The number of pupils who are identified as having social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in each local authority area is not held centrally. However, statistical information on the number of pupils, in each local authority area, with a Record of Needs and/or Individualised Educational Programme as at September 2004, who have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, is contained within the Statistical Bulletin Edn/B1/2005/1 which is available from:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/04/11114958/50011.

Children and Young People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to increase the focus on mental well-being and self esteem in primary and secondary school education.

Peter Peacock: In the schools context the Executive is working to improve the mental and emotional well-being of pupils as part of a whole school health promotion agenda which seeks to connect work on mental and emotional well-being, diet and physical activity into a cohesive whole. To this end, the Executive has established and continues to support the Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit, which includes a national development officer with a specialist focus on mental and emotional well-being, whose key role is to enable all schools to become health promoting by 2007. This work complements the wider aims of the Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being.

Council Tax

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes there have been in each council tax band, broken down by year, since the introduction of the council tax.

Tavish Scott: The following table shows, for each year from 1993 to 2004, the number of dwellings on the Council Tax Valuation List, broken down by council tax band.

  Total Number of Dwellings on Valuation List1

  

Year
Band A
Band B
Band C
Band D
Band E
Band F
Band G
Band H
Total


1993
592,236
562,540
337,836
237,343
235,361
115,134
79,729
9,937
2,170,116


1994
606,685
564,285
338,250
241,463
239,759
114,079
78,672
9,744
2,192,937


1995
608,099
569,387
338,770
246,728
243,701
117,522
79,441
9,646
2,213,294


1996
606,313
572,369
342,732
251,768
248,421
119,502
80,757
9,658
2,231,520


1997
605,432
574,643
347,179
256,738
253,525
122,097
82,412
9,776
2,251,802


1998
602,706
576,350
350,532
261,919
259,102
124,829
84,026
9,914
2,269,378


1999
600,808
576,854
353,302
266,645
264,479
128,134
85,820
10,059
2,286,101


2000
595,562
578,387
356,883
271,631
270,628
132,118
88,298
10,265
2,303,772


2001
591,245
580,115
360,837
276,668
276,551
136,176
90,760
10,492
2,322,844


2002
586,274
581,366
364,875
281,318
282,355
140,567
93,109
10,682
2,340,546


2003
581,665
582,367
368,453
285,679
287,804
145,657
95,886
10,904
2,358,415


2004
578,020
583,154
371,705
290,100
294,383
151,155
98,957
11,129
2,378,603



  Source: CTAXBASE returns from local authorities to the Scottish Executive in September of each year.

  Note: 1. Excluding free standing lock-ups.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes of (a) abuse, (b) disorderly conduct, (c) theft, and (d) murder were reported to have taken place in licensed premises in the last five years.

Cathy Jamieson: The recorded crime statistics available centrally do not distinguish the circumstances of the crime, such as the location.

  However, information is available on incidents of domestic abuse occurring in licensed premises. Information for 2001, 2002, and 2003 is published in table 12 of the bulletins for the respective years: Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 1 January-31 December 2001 (Bib. number 32747), Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 1 January-31 December 2002 (Bib. number 30075), and Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Scotland, 1 January-31 December 2003 (Bib. number 35405). The published information on incidents of domestic abuse occurring in licensed premises was not given on a comparable basis for years before 2001. The following table gives the available information in a form comparable to the published data for 2001 to 2003.

  Incidents of Domestic Abuse in Licensed Premises1 Recorded by the Police, 1 April to 31 December 19992 and 1 January to 31 December 2000

  

Crimes and Offences 
1999
2000


Non-sexual crimes of violence
4
4


Crimes of indecency
0
0


Crimes of dishonesty
0
0


Fire-raising, vandalism etc
2
4


Other crimes
6
6


Miscellaneous offences
54
88


Behaviour not amounting to a crime
46
71


Total
112
173



  Notes:

  1. The figures exclude domestic abuse incidents in Central police force area, as Central police could not distinguish the location of incidents at this level of detail.

  2. Information for 1999 covers the period from April to December only.

  Information is also available on homicides occurring in licensed premises. This information is given in the following table.

  Number of Homicide Victims where the Location of the Homicide was a Licensed Premise, 1999-2003

  

Year
Victims


1999
3


2000
4


2001
2


2002
1


2003
3

Crime

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the scale of knife attacks in Glasgow.

Cathy Jamieson: The scale of knife attacks in Glasgow is monitored by the Violence Reduction Unit in Strathclyde Police, which is adopting a multi-agency approach to tackling knife crime in the Glasgow area.

Crime

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what statistics it holds on the scale of knife carrying among 16 to 25-year-olds in Glasgow.

Cathy Jamieson: The statistics available centrally on crimes of handling an offensive weapon recorded by the police do not distinguish the circumstances of the crime, such as the age of the offender.

  The available information on the number of 16-25 year olds convicted in Glasgow Sheriff Court and Glasgow City District Court for handling offensive weapons in the last five years for which data are available is given in the following table.

  Persons Aged 16 to 25 with a Charge Proved in Glasgow Sheriff Court and Glasgow City District Court for Handling an Offensive Weapon1, 1999-2003

  

Year
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Possession of an Offensive Weapon3


1999
255
301


2000
267
326


2001 
311
416


2002
275
345


20032
285
414



  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Includes estimated data.

  3. Knives cannot be identified separately from other types of offensive weapons in the data held for this crime category.

Crime

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27324 by Dr Richard Simpson on 6 August 2002, how many CCTV schemes have now been evaluated and how many of these evaluations show (a) an increase and (b) a decrease in crime in the area covered.

Hugh Henry: Of the 161 CCTV schemes awarded funding under the "Make Our Communities Safer" CCTV Challenge Competition, 96 evaluations have been received so far. Of those, 63 show a decrease in crime, eight show an increase and the rest either reported no change or did not provide statistics.

Drug Misuse

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether drug testing and treatment orders are available in every local authority area and, if not, in which areas such orders are not available.

Cathy Jamieson: Drug Treatment and Testing Orders will be available in all but three criminal justice social work groupings by the start of July 2005.

  The exceptions are Dumfries and Galloway, the Argyll, Bute and the Dunbartonshires grouping and the Forth Valley grouping where the plans are for the order to be available by September.

Dyslexia

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the current definition is of dyslexia.

Peter Peacock: There is not one single and commonly agreed definition of dyslexia. Organisations representing those with dyslexia each provide their own definition. Dyslexia Scotland, the national dyslexia organisation in Scotland, uses the following definition.

  "Dyslexia is a specific learning difference which is generally constitutional in origin and is independent of intellectual ability, socio-economic factors and language background. It causes persistent difficulties in the acquisition of literacy skills – reading, writing, spelling and often numeracy and other aspects of literacy. Early speech may be affected. There are likely to be accompanying weaknesses in short term and working memory, speed of processing, sequencing and auditory/visual perception. Environmental influences will affect how dyslexia impacts on individuals."

  Education authorities should have appropriate arrangements in place for identifying dyslexia in pupils.

Dyslexia

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied in defining dyslexia.

Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer to parliamentary question S2W-17256, answered on 22 June 2005 which provides one example of the key considerations in determining whether or not an individual has dyslexia.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Dyslexia

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils are diagnosed as dyslexic in each local authority area, expressed also as a percentage of all schoolchildren in the local authority area.

Peter Peacock: The number of pupils who are identified as having dyslexia in each local authority area is not held centrally. However, statistical information on the number of pupils with a record of needs and/or individualised educational programme as at September 2004, who have specific learning difficulties in language and/or mathematics (including dyslexia) is contained within the Statistical Bulletin Edn/B1/2005/1 which is available from:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/04/11114958/50011.

Education

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many equality impact assessment staff were allocated to each (a) primary and (b) secondary school in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002, (iii) 2003 and (iv) 2004, broken down by local authority area.

Peter Peacock: This information is not collected centrally.

Firearms

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17017 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 June 2005, how many offences involving air guns there were in each of the last four years, broken down into those committed by persons (a) under 16 and (b) 16 and over, in each police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The number of recorded crimes and offences involving air weapons and unidentified weapons in the last four years, and the age breakdown of the main accused, where known, by police force area, are given in the following tables.

  Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police in which an Air Weapon or Unidentified Weapon was Alleged to have Been Used, by Age of Main Accused and Police Force, Scotland, 2000

  

Age of Accused
Under 16
16 and Over
No Accused Identified
Total


Police Force
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified


Central
15
1
11
2
12
0
38
3


Dumfries and Galloway
5
0
5
0
3
0
13
0


Fife
2
0
5
0
4
0
11
0


Grampian
10
0
16
2
34
4
60
6


Lothian and Borders
16
0
11
6
98
48
125
54


Northern
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Strathclyde
51
0
82
31
162
41
295
72


Tayside
2
0
19
2
7
5
28
7


Total
101
1
149
43
320
98
570
142



  Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police in which an Airweapon or Unidentified Weapon was Alleged to have Been Used, by Age of Main Accused and Police Force, Scotland, 2001

  

Age of Accused
Under 16
16 and over
No accused identified
Total


Police Force
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified


Central
3
0
25
2
1
6
29
8


Dumfries and Galloway
15
0
15
0
7
0
37
0


Fife
4
0
11
0
7
0
22
0


Grampian
14
0
20
0
19
0
53
0


Lothian and Borders
11
0
12
0
133
30
156
30


Northern
0
0
4
0
1
0
5
0


Strathclyde
36
6
51
56
59
227
146
289


Tayside
7
0
21
2
40
4
68
6


Total
90
6
159
60
267
267
516
333



  Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police in which an Airweapon or Unidentified Weapon was Alleged to have Been Used, by Age of Main Accused and Police Force, Scotland, 2002

  

Age of Accused
Under 16
16 and Over
No Accused Identified
Total


Police Force
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified


Central
0
0
6
0
4
0
10
0


Dumfries and Galloway
5
0
6
0
8
0
19
0


Fife
7
0
20
0
4
0
31
0


Grampian
17
1
24
5
12
1
53
7


Lothian and Borders
23
3
27
6
59
149
109
158


Northern
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Strathclyde
26
15
35
66
4
274
65
355


Tayside
2
0
11
0
31
3
44
3


Total
80
19
129
77
122
427
331
523



  Crimes and Offences Recorded by the Police in which an Airweapon or Unidentified Weapon was Alleged to have Been Used, by Age of Main Accused and Police Force, Scotland, 2003

  

Age of Accused
Under 16
16 and Over
No Accused Identified
Total


Police Force
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified
Air-Weapon
Un-Identified


Central
0
0
5
0
3
0
8
0


Dumfries and Galloway
3
0
0
0
7
0
10
0


Fife
1
0
4
0
10
0
15
0


Grampian
6
0
10
4
6
2
22
6


Lothian and Borders
4
0
41
0
195
67
240
67


Northern
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0


Strathclyde
20
14
44
74
2
194
66
282


Tayside
5
0
15
0
34
6
54
6


Total
39
14
119
78
257
269
415
361

Firearms

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16168 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 June 2001, how many robberies involving (a) firearms and (b) handguns were committed in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02, (c) 2002-03, (d) 2003-04 and (e) 2004-05, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Robberies Involving Handguns and All Firearms, by Police Force, by Financial Year

  

Police Force
 
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04(Provisional)


Central 
Pistol/Revolver
0
0
0
1


All Firearms
3
0
1
2


Dumfries and Galloway 
Pistol/Revolver
0
0
3
0


All Firearms
0
0
3
1


Fife 
Pistol/Revolver
0
0
1
0


All Firearms
0
0
3
0


Grampian 
Pistol/Revolver
2
2
0
1


All Firearms
5
3
3
1


Lothian and Borders 
Pistol/Revolver
9
4
7
4


All Firearms
18
6
16
18


Northern 
Pistol/Revolver
0
0
0
0


All Firearms
0
0
0
0


Strathclyde 
Pistol/Revolver
59
5
2
2


All Firearms
127
96
87
107


Tayside 
Pistol/Revolver
0
0
0
0


All Firearms
3
3
4
3


Scotland 
Pistol/Revolver
70
11
13
8


All Firearms
156
108
117
132

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15432 by Cathy Jamieson on 14 April 2005, whether it will designate the operators of future privately managed prisons as public authorities under section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer by Margaret Curran, Minister for Parliament to question S2W-15778 on 13 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.

  The Minister for Parliament will write to the member as soon as a conclusion has been reached.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will become operational.

Mr Tom McCabe: The necessary changes to the Immigration Rules to implement the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme were laid at the UK Parliament on 15 June. The scheme will come into effect on 22 June 2005. Application forms will be available from the Home Office. Decisions on applications will be made by the Home Office not the Scottish Executive. Further details can be found at www.workingintheuk.gov.uk and www.scotlandistheplace.com .

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-16268 and S2W-16451 by Mr Tom McCabe on 11 and 26 May 2005, whether it was aware of a specific launch date for The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme on 11 and 26 May; if it was aware, why the information was not provided at these times, and when it was made aware by the Home Office, or when it expects to be informed, of a specific launch date.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Home Office and the Scottish Executive have been working closely together in recent months to ensure that the scheme would come into effect by the original target of summer 2005. On 24 May, the Home Office agreed that we could commit to introducing the scheme before the end of June. An exact date could not be confirmed until the necessary rules changes had been laid before the UK Parliament. Home Office officials confirmed on 15 June that the changes to the Immigration Rules had been laid on that day, and this is when the launch date of 22 June was announced.

Land

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what value of land and buildings in Scotland is owned by (a) individuals, businesses and organisations, including government, that are resident and/or registered in Scotland and (b) individuals, businesses and organisations that are resident and/or registered outwith Scotland.

Johann Lamont: This information is not available centrally.

Prison Service

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many male prisoners with mental health problems have committed suicide in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) prison.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Table A sets out the number of male suicides by establishment in the last five years, and table B provides the age range of these deaths.

  Table A

  

Establishment
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Aberdeen
0
0
2
0
2


Barlinnie
5
4
3
1
1


Castle Huntly
0
0
0
0
1


Dumfries
0
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh
2
1
0
1
0


Glenochil
1
0
0
1
0


Greenock
1
0
0
0
0


Inverness
1
0
0
1
1


Kilmarnock
1
2
2
1
0


Low Moss
0
0
0
0
0


Noranside
0
0
0
0
0


Perth
0
1
0
0
2


Peterhead
0
0
0
0
0


Polmont
0
1
0
0
0


Shotts
0
0
0
0
1



  Table B

  

Year
Under 21
21-25
26-30
31-35
36-40
41-45
46 and Over


2000-01
3
4
1
2
0
1
0


2001-02
4
1
4
0
0
0
0


2002-03
1
0
2
2
0
2
0


2003-04
0
0
1
1
0
1
2


2004-05
0
2
1
2
2
0
1



  Information on the status of the prisoner’s mental health at time of death or any previous history is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. It is, however, likely that the majority would have had a history of mental health or addiction problems.

Prison Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied in defining a healthy option on prison menus.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  There are currently no standard criteria applied in defining a healthy option on prison menus. Local catering managers will take into account factors such as levels of fat, salt and sugar and the cooking process used.

Prison Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances it would be appropriate to remove standard electrical equipment from prison cells.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  It would be appropriate to remove standard electrical equipment from prison cells where such equipment is unsafe or where its continued presence creates a risk to safety or good order. In-cell television is a privilege which can be withdrawn as a result of a disciplinary adjudication or under the SPS "Anti-Intimidation" Strategy.

Prison Service

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it offers to prisons on the management of long-term prisoners in relation to the proportion of the year that these prisoners must spend participating in (a) work parties and (b) the formal prison regime.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

  The law specifies that all convicted prisoners must work and regime activities are classified as work. The SPS has no fixed policy on the proportion of time divided between industries and regime activities. We provide structured timetables which offers a range of opportunities in which prisoners may participate in work, programmes and approved activities.

  This year in addition to industries and work activities, we aim to provide 1,300,000 hours of offender development activities including Education and Vocational Training and 80,000 hours of programme and other approved activities.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-8485, S2W-10935, S2W-16507 and S2W-16955 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 June 2004, 19 October 2004, 23 May 2005 and 6 June 2005 and given that the contract with Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd for the provision of prisoner escort and court custody services is now fully rolled out, how many prison officer hours have now been released from prisoner transport duties as a result of the contract.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  For the purposes of clarity, the contract is now fully rolled out and around 200 officers have been made available.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16507 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2005, whether the contract with Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd for the provision of prisoner escort and court custody services was fully rolled out by that date and, if so, why no substantive answer was given to that question.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The contract was fully rolled out on 21 February 2005 and around 200 officers have been made available.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33583 and S2W-7812 by Mr Jim Wallace and Cathy Jamieson on 10 February 2003 and 19 May 2004, what the total delegated budget for each prison and young offenders’ institution has been in (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2004-05 to date and what the expenditure outturn has been in each case.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16929 on 8 June 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.

Public Private Partnerships

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total outstanding commitment of (a) it, (b) local authorities and (c) non-departmental public bodies is to annual payments under PFI and PPP schemes in each year from 2005-06 to 2019-20.

Mr Tom McCabe: The following table shows estimated payments under PPP contracts in operational and signed deals by the Scottish Executive, local authorities and non-departmental public bodies (NDPB) in each year from 2005-06 to 2019-20:

  

Year
Scottish Executive (£ Million)
Local Authorities (£ Million)
NDPBs (£ Million)


2005-06
44.6
136.8
6.7


2006-07
49.1
142.5
6.8


2007-08
54.2
153.9
6.4


2008-09
54.9
153.0
6.4


2009-10
54.5
155.5
6.0


2010-11
56.8
158.6
4.1


2011-12
57.5
161.1
4.1


2012-13
60.4
163.7
4.1


2013-14
60.4
162.8
4.0


2014-15
68.0
165.3
3.9


2015-16
79.9
167.8
3.8


2016-17
75.2
170.1
3.7


2017-18
79.1
173.2
3.7


2018-19
79.2
176.0
3.6


2019-20
73.2
178.9
3.5



  Note: Figures taken from HM Treasury Returns March 2005.

Schools

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish children have been referred to independent special schools outwith Scotland in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) home and (b) destination local authority.

Euan Robson: This information is not held centrally.